CIF-NORTH COAST SECTION GIRLS

The Team to Beat: Amador Valley

The East Bay Athletic League has run train on the rest of the North Coast Section for the last four years, and 2010 doesn’t look like it will be any different. Four different EBAL teams have won the NCS title since 2006: Danville Monte Vista, Amador Valley, California and San Ramon Valley. And that trend will likely continue.

This season, the top EBAL teams appear to once again be a cut above the rest, and 2009 semifinalist Amador Valley has a slight edge going into the season. The Dons graduated just three seniors off last year’s team, and they have two future NCAA Division I players among their large group of returning varsity letter winners.

Oregon-bound senior goalie Caroline Federighi is a wall, and it’s tough to lose games when opponents can’t score. She’ll be joined by California-bound senior middie Teresa Li, standout senior attack Erin McGillivray, junior defender Jessica Daut and senior middie Morgan Dorsey.

Contenders: California, Danville Monte Vista, Foothill-Pleasanton, Acalanes, Carondelet

California graduated seven seniors and brings back seven starters from a team that advanced to the North Coast Section championship game. The Grizzlies return the vast majority of their midfield and defense, but they lost most of their attack. California will be led by senior middie Jocelyn Algieri, senior middie Stacy Corich, junior middie Avi Feldman, junior defender Madison Moore and senior attack Courtney Randall.

Defending champion Danville Monte Vista graduated five top seniors and brings back seven starters. The Mustangs have two future NCAA Division I players in California-bound Lauren Goerz, last year’s East Bay Ahtletic League Player of the Year, and Detroit Mercy-bound senior defender Jenna Alberts. Senior defender Leah Trembly-Adams, sophomore middie Paige Southmayd, junior attack Maddie Mulford and freshman middie Ashlyn Goerz will also make an impact.

It seems like Foothill-Pleasanton has been on the precipice of making a deep playoff run for years, but this could be the season it actually materializes. The Falcons have 10 returning starters, led by senior middie Maddie Saxton, an honorable-mention U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American selection. Saxton will be joined by junior middie Sara Quero and junior attack Emily Klein. The Falcons will also get a boost from incoming freshman attack Alexa Milus.

Acalanes is the last program outside the EBAL to win a North Coast Section title, having won it all in 2005. This season, the Dons will have the best chance to take it amongst the non-EBAL teams. Acalanes will be led by two standout junior middies in Elizabeth Landry and Devon Frazer.

Carondelet returns eight starters after graduating five seniors, but it lost its top three players. Senior middie Emily DeSimone was the team’s top scorer last year, and she’ll be joined by senior defender Kat McCormick and junior attack Kayla Hammergren.

Sleeper: Campolindo

The Cougars are flying a little bit under the radar despite having gone 13-6 last season. Campolindo returns 10 starters from that squad, and it has one of the area’s best players in Stanford-bound senior middie Rachel Ozer, who has the ability to single-handedly change a game. Ozer will be joined by sophomore defender Hannah Perkins and a host of solid role players.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Jenna Alberts, Def., Danville Monte Vista (Detroit Mercy); Jessie Esteban, Att.-MF, San Ramon Valley (Oregon); Caroline Federighi, G, Amador Valley (Oregon); Lauren Goerz, MF, Danville Monte Vista (California); Teresa Li, MF, Amador Valley (California); Hayley Olson, MF, Granada (California); Rachel Ozer, MF, Campolindo (Stanford); Erin Walsh, MF-Def., Miramonte (Navy).

Federighi, a U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American as a junior, has been widely regarded as the top goalie in Northern California and one of the best in the state since the start of last season. Over the last two seasons, she has posted a better than 60 percent save percentage. As a sophomore, she saved 66 percent of the shots she faced and helped lead the Dons to the CIF title. As a junior, she had a 61 percent save percentage to help Amador Valley make a surprising run to the sectional semifinals.

Other Top Players: Jocelyn Algieri, MF, California; Maddie Bannon, Att., San Francisco University; Kelsey Bibiano, MF, Alhambra; Amelia Burke, Att., Redwood; Erin Chavanne, MF, Davis; Stacy Corich, MF, California; Jessica Daut, Def., Amador Valley; Emily DeSimone, MF, Carondelet; Kate Detrick, Def., Sonoma Academy; Morgan Dorsey, MF, Amador Valley; Taylor Ewing, Def., Acalanes; Avi Feldman, MF, California; Samantha Flounders, MF, Berkeley; Amy Frantz, MF, Dublin; Devon Frazer, MF, Acalanes; Livv Gerton, MF, Granada; Ashlyn Goerz, MF, Danville Monte Vista; Kayla Hammergren, Att., Carondelet; Catrina Hickman, MF, Granada (Redlands); Emily Hoyt, G, Campolindo; Emily Klein, Att., Foothill-Pleasanton; Haley Klein, Att., Berkeley; Audrey Knox, MF, Las Lomas; Allison Koenig, MF, San Marin; Ania Kurozcko, Def., Marin Catholic; Elizabeth Landry, MF, Acalanes; Rachael Mack, Def., Davis; Kat McCormick, Def., Carondelet; Megan McCullough, MF, Marin Catholic; Erin McGillivray, Att., Amador Valley; Alexa Milus, Att., Foothill-Pleasanton; Madison Moore, Def., California; Maddie Mulford, Att., Danville Monte Vista; Robin Nguyen, Def., San Marin; Annie Ostergard, G, Sir Francis Drake; Hannah Perkins, Def., Campolindo; Sierra Perrella, Att., Marin Catholic; MacKenzie Pope, MF, Redwood; Sara Quero, MF, Foothill-Pleasanton; Anna Radoff, Def., Miramonte; Courtney Randall, Att., California; Jessica Rogers, G, Granada; Tara Salisbury, MF, Tamalpais; Maddie Saxton, MF, Foothill-Pleasanton; Alexandra Seclow, MF, Miramonte; Tori Snell, MF, Redwood; Paige Southmayd, MF, Danville Monte Vista; Leah Trembly-Adams, Def., Danville Monte Vista; Chrystal Yeo, Att., Dougherty Valley.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Amador Valley, 2. California, 3. Danville Monte Vista, 4. Foothill-Pleasanton, 5. Acalanes, 6. Carondelet, 7. San Ramon Valley, 8. Campolindo, 9. Davis, 10. Miramonte.

Notes: Former UC Davis middie Katie McMahon has taken over at Miramonte. McMahon inherits a program that graduated about a handful of seniors and has a dozen returning varsity players. Miramonte will be led by Navy-bound senior middie-defender Erin Walsh, junior middie Alexandra Seclow and senior defender Anna Radoff....There are seven returning seniors in the North Coast Section who received U.S. Lacrosse All-American honors as juniors. Amador Valley senior goalie Caroline Federighi, Danville Monte Vista senior middie Lauren Goerz and Miramonte senior defender Erin Walsh all made the first team. San Francisco University senior attack Madeleine Bannon, Carondelet senior middie Emily DeSimone, Amador Valley senior middie Teresa Li and Foothill-Pleasanton senior middie Maddie Saxton were all selected as honorable mentions.